Wednesday Words ~ Is Your Business Web Present?

If you are a small business owner who is not marketing your business online, you may very well be missing the mark with your target market.

In this day and age, almost everyone is online. With the world literally at their fingertips, it takes mere minutes to find the plumber, landscaper or electrician they need. Will they find you there?

Thinking of it in that manner, doesn’t it make sense to have some sort of web presence in place?

Even if you are selling a product or service that cannot be shipped or delivered virtually, you owe it to yourself and your business to have this marketing tool.

At the bare minimum, you should have a page that lists who you are and what you do. A basic small website may consist of a home page, a contact page with hours and phone number, and an about us page with company history.

If you are a service industry, such as an electrician, heating & cooling company, plumber or landscaping company, you can include other pages with experience, organizations your company is affiliated with, testing or classes taken, types of projects you work with (business or residential), pictures of jobs completed or even a slideshow of photos progressing from start to finish. The latter is a great tool for landscapers and builders!

Testimonials are another good item to include on your website, either throughout the site or on their own page. This will help potential clients feel more comfortable if they decide to call you.

A website does not need to be large and flashy. A small do-it-yourself website will run you from $10-$21 a month depending on the provider and features that you may be looking for. Companies such as www.godaddy.com or www.internetbasedfamily.com offer web hosting services with easy to use site builder tools and templates. If you are not the ‘techie’ type, you could possibly trade services with a local web design company. Start small and work your way up if you outgrow it later on.

Not having a website will not necessarily kill your business, but with so many affordable options out there, it is one more way to get your company and message in front of potential clients, even if you have a product or service that caters only to a local market.

About the author: Chelle Barnett is the owner of Your Virtual Admin Pro, a virtual assistance company that specializes in providing administrative support services to small business owners. You can find her on the web at www.yourvirtualadminpro.com.